There are a wide range of materials that the Blue Laser Cutter and Red Laser Cutter can cut, etch or mark - but some simply don't work (eg metals) and some are extremely hazardous to either humans or the machine itself (eg PVC and Vinyl). It is therefore imperative that you check these lists before attempting to cut materials that you have not worked with before.

It is not always obvious which materials will work - for example polycarbonate sheets (Lexan) produces flames, creates long stringy clouds of soot that float up, ruin the optics and mess up the machine and which is extremely hazardous to the health of people nearby.

Yet acrylic - which looks, smells, feels and tastes just like Lexan - cuts smoothly and cleanly and is one of the best materials to use with the laser! So check and double-check what you're cutting. If you aren't sure, test the material. A simple way to test is attempt to flex the plastic. Under normal temperatures, acrylic is not very flexible. Polycarbonate is slightly bendable in most thicknesses under 1 inch.

Where to Find Materials

NEVER CUT THESE MATERIALS

WARNING: Because many plastics are dangerous to cut, it is important to know what kind you are planning to use. Make has a How-To for identifying unknown plastics with a simple process.

Material

DANGER!

Cause/Consequence

PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)/vinyl/pleather/artificial leather

Emits chlorine gas when cut!

Don't ever cut this material as it will ruin the optics, causes the metal of the machine to corrode as chlorine is released and ruins the motion control system.

Thick ( >1mm ) Polycarbonate/Lexan

Cuts very poorly, discolors, catches fire

Polycarbonate is often found as flat, sheet material. The window of the laser cutter is made of Polycarbonate because polycarbonate strongly absorbs infrared radiation! This is the frequency of light the laser cutter uses to cut materials, so it is very ineffective at cutting polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a poor choice for laser cutting. It creates long stringy clouds of soot that float up, ruin the optics and mess up the machine.

ABS

Melts / Cyanide

ABS does not cut well in a laser cutter. It tends to melt rather than vaporize, and has a higher chance of catching on fire and leaving behind melted gooey deposits on the vector cutting grid. It also does not engrave well (again, tends to melt). Cutting ABS plastic emits hydrogen cyanide, which is unsafe at any concentration.

HDPE/milk bottle plastic

Catches fire and melts

It melts. It gets gooey. It catches fire. Don't use it.

PolyStyrene Foam

Catches fire

It catches fire quickly, burns rapidly, it melts, and only thin pieces cut. This is the #1 material that causes laser fires!!!

PolyPropylene Foam

Catches fire

Like PolyStyrene, it melts, catches fire, and the melted drops continue to burn and turn into rock-hard drips and pebbles.

Epoxy

burn / smoke

Epoxy is an aliphatic resin, strongly cross-linked carbon chains. A CO2 laser can't cut it, and the resulting burned mess creates toxic fumes ( like cyanide! ). Items coated in Epoxy, or cast Epoxy resins must not be used in the laser cutter. ( see Fiberglass )

Fiberglass

Emits fumes

It's a mix of two materials that cant' be cut. Glass (etch, no cut) and epoxy resin (fumes)

Coated Carbon Fiber

Emits noxious fumes

A mix of two materials. Thin carbon fiber mat can be cut, with some fraying - but not when coated.

The laser is not designed to cut food, and people cut things that create poisonous/noxious substances such as wood smoke and acrylic smoke.

If you want to cut foodstuffs, consider sponsoring a food-only laser cutter for the space that is kept as clean as a commercial kitchen would require.

Safe Materials

The laser can cut or etch. The materials that the laser can cut materials like wood, paper, cork, and some kinds of plastics. Etching can be done on almost anything, wood, cardboard, aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, marble, stone, tile, and glass.

Cutting

Material

Max thickness

Notes

WARNINGS!

Many woods

1/4"

Avoid oily/resinous woods

Be very careful about cutting oily woods, or very resinous woods as they also may catch fire.

Plywood/Composite woods

1/4"

These contain glue, and may not laser cut as well as solid wood.

MDF/Engineered woods

1/4"

These are okay to use but may experience a higher amount of charring when cut.

Paper, card stock

thin

Cuts very well on the laser cutter, and also very quickly.

Cardboard, carton

thicker

Cuts well but may catch fire.

Watch for fire.

Cork

1/4"

Cuts nicely, but the quality of the cut depends on the thickness and quality of the cork. Engineered cork has a lot of glue in it, and may not cut as well.

Avoid thicker cork.

Acrylic/Lucite/Plexiglas/PMMA

1/2"

Cuts extremely well leaving a beautifully polished edge.

Thin Polycarbonate Sheeting (<1mm)

<1mm

Very thin polycarbonate can be cut, but tends to discolor badly. Extremely thin sheets (0.5mm and less) may cut with yellowed/discolored edges. Polycarbonate absorbs IR strongly, and is a poor material to use in the laser cutter.

Watch for smoking/burning

Delrin (POM)

thin

Delrin comes in a number of shore strengths (hardness) and the harder Delrin tends to work better. Great for gears!

Kapton tape (Polyimide)

1/16"

Works well, in thin sheets and strips like tape.

Mylar

1/16"

Works well if it's thin. Thick mylar has a tendency to warp, bubble, and curl

Gold coated mylar will not work.

Solid Styrene

1/16"

Smokes a lot when cut, but can be cut.

Keep it thin.

Depron foam

1/4"

Used a lot for hobby, RC aircraft, architectural models, and toys. 1/4" cuts nicely, with a smooth edge.

Must be constantly monitored.

Gator foam

Foam core gets burned and eaten away compared to the top and bottom hard paper shell.

Not a fantastic thing to cut, but it can be cut if watched.

Cloth/felt/hemp/cotton

They all cut well. Our lasers can be used in lace-making.

Not plastic coated or impregnated cloth!

Leather/Suede

1/8"

Leather is very hard to cut, but can be if it's thinner than a belt (call it 1/8"). Our "Advanced" laser training class covers this.

Real leather only! Not 'pleather' or other imitations .. they are made of PVC.

Difficult because of the vertical strips. Three passes at 80% power, 7% speed, and it will be slightly connected still at the bottom from the vertical strips.

Etching

All the above "cuttable" materials can be etched, in some cases very deeply.

In addition, you can etch:

Material

Notes

WARNINGS!

Glass

Green seems to work best...looks sandblasted.

Flat glass should be engraved in our cutter as we have no rotary device. Round or cylindrical objects like bottles or glasses will have distortion.

Ceramic tile

Anodized aluminum

Vaporizes the anodization away.

Painted/coated metals

Vaporizes the paint away.

Stone, Marble, Granite, Soapstone, Onyx.

Gets a white "textured" look when etched.

100% power, 50% speed or less works well for etching.

Marking

Cermark is the brand name of a marking compound containing molybdenum that costs ~$50-100 for a 12oz spray can, which can be sprayed onto stainless steel, brass, aluminum, copper, nickel, glass or light-colored stone/tile before being etched to leave behind a permanent dark black mark. Some people have had some luck using dry moly lube spray to the same effect. It is thought that the molybdenum sulfate in the dry lube breaks down to molybdenum which either oxidizes or reacts with the underlying surface to create the mark.